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New York Post Fear Index

Turns out I missed a lot in the papers while I was in Port St. Lucie. And if you read the New York Post, you must think this is a pretty terrifying time to be a Mets fan. Let’s look at some of the things the Post would have us fear and rate them by how scary they actually are, on a scale of 1-10.

I should note that there’s plenty to fear in all the other papers and on just about every blog, too. I was going to do a general Mets Fear Index, but I started out at the Post’s Mets page and realized it had all the material I needed. So here’s what we’re afraid of:

Carlos Beltran’s knee problems: There’s a lot about this on the Post, and rightfully so. Beltran’s arthritic knees, we know, have hampered his last two seasons and slowed his preparation for this one. This is something legitimately worth fearing. The only mitigating factor is that, in Scott Hairston, Lucas Duda and Nick Evans, the Mets have a reasonable amount of depth at the position, something new for the organization. Fear factor: 9 out of 10.

Oliver Perez is still here: I’ve said this before: Barring a rash of injuries, Oliver Perez is not going to make the Mets. Every word spilled on the subject — on this site included — is a word wasted. I will not mention Oliver Perez again until either he is officially cut or it is March 31 and he is still on the roster. Fear factor: 1 out of 10.

Jose Reyes is the new Carmelo Anthony: Get this: Because Jose Reyes is not as good as Rickey Henderson, the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, then there’s no chance Sandy Alderson will want Jose Reyes back. The fact that Reyes plays shortstop only gets a single parenthetical mention in this column. I’ll amount there’s a solid chance Reyes won’t be back next year, but, without quoting nebulous “executives,” I’d put it at way less than 95 percent. Fear factor: 4 out of 10.

OH MY GOD WE’RE HAVING A FIRE… sale: I will never hear the term “fire sale” again without thinking of Tobias Funke. Evacuate all of the schoolchildren! That said, I don’t know a lot about business and I don’t have a ton of inside information or anything about the Wilpons’ pending lawsuit and their finances. I’m not eager to get too deep into this, lest I sound like a shill. But everything I understand suggests that most of the media coverage — and basically all the sports-media coverage — entirely fails to grasp any of the nuance involved. Here, the thesis — citing more “executives” — is: We know the Mets have money problems, so we should expect them to cut salary down to the $70 million small-market team range. Seems like the brushstrokes are too broad. Also, my understanding is the whole point of seeking another part-owner is so the Mets’ finances are not impacted by the Wilpons’ troubles. Fear factor: 3 out of 10.